Building-block



NOV. 30, 1937. 5 w F N 2,100,658

BUILDING BLOCK I Filed March 11, 1956 Patented Nov. 30, 1937 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE Application March 11,

6 Claims.

My present invention pertains to toy buildingblocks, and moreparticularly to the manner of connecting the same.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed 5- drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a group of blocks, each having one or moresockets for the reception of connectors, said blocks being held togetherby such connectors.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of my improved connector.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, on the line A-A, of Fig. 3.

The main object of this invention is to provide a simple, strong anduniversal set of toy buildingblocks, or elements, which may beeconomically produced; which may be readily assembled and disassembled,even by a child, without any special 2 instructions as to their use; andwhich may be employed in building a great variety of objects such asanimals, houses, fancy designs, the letters of the alphabet, etc.,foramusement and educational purposes. 25 My present invention relatesparticularly to the formation of the connector (the body portion ofwhich may be made of wood, hard rubber, metal or other suitablematerial) which may be compressed so as to reduce certain of itsdimensions in the act of inserting it into the cooperating socket orrecess in the block; the connector, when so inserted, at all timesmaintaining a spring pressure against the walls of the recess.

Another feature of the invention relates to the special formation of theconnector, whereby the opposite ends thereof may be compressedindependently of each other; so that when one end of the connector iscompressed in entering the socket of one block, the opposite end of the40 connector remains in its normal distended, or expanded, conditionuntil it in turn is compressed upon entering the socket of the secondblock. This feature assures normal independent spring tension by eachend of the connector against the walls of the respective recesses of theblocks in which they are inserted, even though the recess in the blockin which one end of the connector is inserted is of somewhat greaterdiameter than the recess in the block in which the other end 5 of theconnector is inserted.

Another feature of the invention is the expander (shown as of a tubularform-preferably composed of rubber, but which may consist of a metalspring or other resilient substance) which, in one form of my invention,is located inside 1936, Serial No. 68,343

the body of the connector. The expander is specially desirable when theconnector is made from wood or other substance which is liable to remainreduced in size when compressed for a prolonged period, or subjected tounfavorable 5 climatic conditions, since the expander retains itsresiliency and serves to restore the wall of the connector to its normaldistended condition when the connector is withdrawn from the socket orrecess in the block. The expander also serves to strengthen theconnector and prevent breakage when stepped on or otherwise abused bythe user.

Another feature of the invention is the relation of the connectors tothe blocks in connection with which they are used; it being important(in or der that the two ends of the connector may function normally andindependently) that the depth of each recess, into which the connectoris to be entered, shall be substantially equal to one-half the length ofthe connector.

While, in the drawing, only cubical blocks are shown, it is to beunderstood that blocks of any desired shape or size may be employed.Moreover, while the drawing shows an expander inside the connector, theconnector (especially when composed of hard rubber, spring metal orother similarly resilient material) will function satisfactorily withoutany such expander.

Attention is also called to the fact that the strength of the tension ofthe connector against the inner walls of the socket in the block may bevaried by making connectors having walls of increased thickness toafford increased tension or decreased thickness to afiord decreasedtension.

Moreover, while the connector in its preferred form is of asubstantially cylindrical form in its outer contour, the connector mayalso be made in other formsas oval or square or rectangular as to itsouter contour; the essential feature being that the connector betubularit must have an interior hole or channel in order to functionproperly.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be noted that there are four cubicalblocks, denoted by I, 2, 3 and 4. The adjoining faces of these blockshave corresponding recesses, and in each pair of such recesses there isa connector; the connector 5 between blocks l and 2 being shown by meansof a cut-away sketch; the connector between blocks 2 and 3 being shownin outline; and the connector between blocks 3 and 4 being invisible.The numerals 6, 1, 8 and 9 indicate sockets (each of a depth equal toone-half the length of a connector) 55 in the sides of blocks 1, 2, 3and 4. The numbers Ga and la indicate the sockets in which the connectoris inserted.

In Fig. 2, the upper surfaces of blocks I, 2 and 4 are shown, thesockets beingdesignated 10, H and I2.

In Figs. 3 and 4, showing the connector in enlarged form, I3 is the bodyof the connector, which is preferably substantially tubular in form. I4is a longitudinally disposed slot in the wall of I3. [5 is alatitudinally disposed slot in the wall of i3, which slot [5 crosses theslot M at I6 and preferably extends more than half-way through theconnector body 53 approximately to the point I! in order to admit of themaximum amount of independent flexibility of the two ends of theconnector consistent with the necessary strength of the body l3 of theconnector. l8'is the expander, which is shown in cross-section in Fig. 4and is indicated by vertical dotted lines in Fig. 3. 2! is the openingthrough the expander IS. The expander may, however, consist of spongerubber or other resilient material without any such center opening.Numerals 2222 indicate the rounded or beveled ends of the connector, forfacilitating the entry of the connector into the socket of the block.

While the connector, in its preferred form, has both a longitudinal slotand a latitudinal slot, a tubular connector having a longitudinal slotbut no latitudinal slot would also be within the scope of my invention,as would also be a connector having a tubular portion with one or morelongitudinally-disposed slots therein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a plurality of toy buildingblocks, each having arecess therein for the reception of a connector; and a connector havinga body portion tube-like in form, and having a longitudinally-disposedslot or kerf extending through the wall thereof, there being Within suchbody portion a resilient,longitudinally-disposed expander tending torestore the Walls of such body portion to a normally expanded conditionwhen the connector is withdrawn from the recess in a block.

2. A tube-like connector for toy building blocks having in the bodyportion of such connector a longitudinally-disposed slot extending fromthe outer to the inner surface of the wall thereof, and having withinsaid body portion a resilient member adapted to act as an expander forsuch body portion.

3. A tube-like connector for toy building blocks having in the wall ofthe body portion thereof a longitudinally-disposed slot and alatitudinally-disposed slot, and having within said body portion aresilient member adapted to act as an expander for such body portion.

4. A tube-like connector for toy buildingblocks having on one side ofthe body portion thereof a longitudinally-disposed slot severing thewall thereof from end to end, said body portion also having alatitudinally-disposed slot which intersects the longitudinally-disposedslot at a point approximately midway between the ends-of the connector,whereby the ends of the connector may be compressed or distendedindependently of each other; there being in said body portion aresilient, longitudinally-disposed, tubelike member adapted to act as anexpander for the body portion of the connector and to restore it tonormal size after it has been withdrawn from the recess of a block.

5. In combination, two toy building-blocks, and a connector; theconnector consisting of two tube-like sections of substantially equallength, partially separated from each other by a cross slot, and eachsection being split from end to end by a longitudinal slot,- wherebyeach such section is rendered independently resilient in cross sectionthroughout its entire length; and each block having a recess of a depthsubstantially equal to half the length of the connector, whereby the endof the connector, upon entering. a recess, will contact the bottom wallthereof. when the cross slot of the connector arrives at the mouth ofthe recess. v

6. In combination, a plurality of toybuildingblocks and a connector; theconnector consisting of two longitudinally-aligned tube-like sections ofsubstantially equal length and diameter, partially separated from eachother by a cross slot extending from the outer to the inner surface ofthe wall of the connector, and each such section being split from end toend by a longitudinal slot, by means of which cross slot andlongitudinal slots each of such tube-like sections is renderedindependently resilient in cross-section; and each block having a recessof a diameter slightly smaller than that of such tube-like sections andof a depth substantially equal to half of the length of the connector,so that either end of the connector, upon entering a recess in one ofsuch blocks, will be compressed in cross section and the end of suchsection will contact the bottom wall of the recess when the cross slotof the connector comes into alignment with the mouth of the recess, thusleaving the other section of the connector in a normally expanded stateso that it in turn will be compressed in cross section as it is insertedin a corresponding recess in another block, thereby causing the twoblocks to be held together.

' STANLEY W. FINCH.

